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Driverless taxis could be expanded in San Francisco

By KTVU Staff
Published  April 30, 2022 10:54am PDT
Silicon Valley Tech
KTVU FOX 2

Cruise applies to have driverless taxis in San Francisco

Cruise could become the first company in California to have customers paying for rides in driverless cars. The California Public Utilities Commission could vote on the proposal in June.

People in San Francisco may soon be the first in the state to pay for rides in driverless taxis.

Tech company Cruise, which specializes in autonomous vehicles, is awaiting a decision from the California Public Utilities Commission that would allow it to charge passengers for rides in robotic cars, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

There would be no person in the driver's seat as a backup option in case the self-driving technology fails.  

The company already offers free rides in such cars in San Francisco at night. A video went viral recently when a San Francisco police officer pulled over a Cruise car only to find there was no one behind the wheel.

The state's utility commission will allow for public comment on Cruise's proposal before taking a vote as early as June.

Cruise is competing against Waymo to be the first to operate driverless taxis in San Francisco.